In Crash Course Chapter 18: The Environment, Chris Martenson explains how multiple essential resources are being depleted at ever faster rates. Our money system requires continual economic growth, but energy depletion will run headlong into dwindling... resource returns to limit future growth options. Overpopulation will increase competition and demand for fossil fuel energy sources such as crude oil and coal, as well as for natural gas and sources of alternative energy.
In this chapter, Peak Coal, Peak Uranium, and copper extraction are explored as illustrations challenging long-held assumptions about the inevitable certainty of continued global economic expansion. This chapter makes it easy to understand why careful management of our natural resources will be necessary for our economic and environmental future. (16:22)[more]

Chapter 8 (The Fed Money Creation): Chapter 7 explained money creation via money loaned into existence by banks, on the local level. Chapter 8 explains money creation by the Federal Reserve, where we learn that it is manufactured out of thin air. Per...petual expansion is a requirement of modern banking. The banking system MUST continually expand, because that is how it was designed. By understanding the requirement for continual expansion we will be in a better position to make informed decisions about what is likely to transpire and take meaningful actions to enhance our prospects. (07:23)
More information can be found at http://www.chrismartenson.com[more]

Chapter 1 (Three Beliefs): Dr. Martenson states his three beliefs: massive change is upon us, that change may overwhelm our ability to respond, and that we do not lack the technology or understanding necessary to build a better future. The next 20 ye...ars are not going to be anything like the past 20 years. (01:47)
More information can be found at http://www.chrismartenson.com[more]

Chapter 2 (The Three "E"s): Understanding our current situation requires acknowledging that the Economy, Energy, and the Environment are all related; in short, that each "E" influences, and competes for our attention with the others. We have never si...multaneously faced these issues at such levels, yet none of them can be solved in isolation. (02:06)
More information can be found at http://www.chrismartenson.com[more]

In which Stan Muller subs for John Green and teaches you about energy and humanity. Today we discuss the ideas put forth by Alfred Crosby in his book, Children of the Sun. Historically, almost all of the energy that humans use has been directly or in...directly generated by the sun, whether that be food energy from plants, wind energy, direct solar energy, or fossil fuels. Stan looks into these different sources, and talks talks about how humanity will continue to use energy in the future as populations grow and energy resources become more scarce. (07:20)[more]

Chapter 14 (Assets & Demographics): Having examined our nations current, never-before-seen level of debt, as well as our failure to save, we now move on to look at our assets. Key Concept 8 is introduced, that debts are fixed, but assets are variable..., sometimes gaining and sometimes losing. Dr. Martenson examines Americas assets, especially in light of our current demographic situation. The effect of the baby boomer generation is specifically considered, with the conclusion that the next 20 years are going to be completely unlike the last twenty years. (13:42)[more]

Chapter 18 - Environmental Data: The entire human population reached three billion in 1960, and today more than twice that number of people live on earth with rapid growth expected to continue in the future. Unfortunately, an increasing population in...creases the demand for earth's natural resources. In this chapter, Dr. Chris Martenson explains that since the easiest-to-extract, most abundant natural resources are extracted first, our growing population will have to deal with scarce, energy-consuming, low-grade resource availability in the near future. (16:23)[more]

Chapter 19 (Future Shock): Debt, money creation, population, and energy production have all experienced unsustainable exponential growth in recent years. This fact, when paired with the housing bubble, 'boomer' retirements, peak oil production, a nat...ional failure to save money, and excessive exploitation of natural resources, is cause for alarm. In this summary, Dr. Chris Martenson encourages us, "to return to living within our natural and economic budgets." The next twenty years are going to be completely unlike the last. (07:49)[more]

An emerging economic challenge for greater Minnesota involves developing renewable energy sources for local consumption. To lay the groundwork for the next generation, the West Central Rural Outreach Center (WCROC) has launched an extensive applied ...research program in renewable energy geared towards rural Minnesota users and producers. This video explains how an extension of the University of Minnesota’s College of Food Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences, WCROC tests and develops biomass gasification and creates synthetic fertilizer (NH3) from wind turbines, as well as photovoltaic and solar-thermal systems.[more]

Chapter 17b - Energy Budgeting: Petroleum has supplied the surplus energy that has allowed for social complexity, industrialization, and the modern conveniences that we enjoy. In this chapter, Dr. Chris Martenson explains that in the future our suppl...y of surplus energy will decline due to the fact that increasing amounts of energy will be required to produce new energy. When poor net energy (ERoEI) returns are paired with peak oil production, it points to a return to a less complex society. (12:16)[more]

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